Winemaker Notes
Vats that go into red Esprit de Chevalier must nevertheless be complex, well-balanced, well-structured and, above all, elegant enough to be in keeping with Chevalier’s image. Esprit de Chevalier is a charming red wine with many of the same qualities as the grand vin and the added advantage that can be enjoyed earlier.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is an extremely polished and refined young wine with gorgeous blackberry, blackcurrant, licorice, dark-chocolate and bark character. It’s full-bodied with ever so fine tannins and a long, long finish. Fantastic second wine of Domaine de Chevalier. Try after 2026.
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Wine Enthusiast
The second wine of Domaine de Chevalier, this shows all the richness of the vintage, with weighty tannins and a generous future. Blackberry fruits and a core that promises plenty of potential as the dryness softens contribute to what will be a richly structured, complex wine. Drink from 2026.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Checking in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot brought up mostly in used barrels, the 2018 Domaine De Chevalier L'Esprit De Chevalier has a rich, dense, medium to full-bodied style with slightly reserved darker currant and cherry fruits, notes of cedary herbs and earth, firm tannin's, and a good finish. While most second wines are up-front and geared for early drinking, this is going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age. It should keep for over a decade. Rating: 91+
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Wine Spectator
Packed with plum paste, cherry reduction, bramble and melted licorice notes that are enlivened by sanguine and iron hints through the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2032. 8,333 cases made.
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Decanter
A serious second wine with real grip and fresh fruit, richly extracted and with good quality, firm tannins. Austerity takes precedence over the fruit a little, but it's a good wine worth looking out for.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.